


"Where Were You?" "I Never Left."

by God1643



Series: Incomplete Works: Up For Adoption [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Emotional Baggage, F/M, Fluff, Time looping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24914773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/God1643/pseuds/God1643
Summary: Weiss has been looping for a very, very long time. An endless, blank monotony of repeated attempts with very little changing. She's learned to latch onto any changes with everything she has in an effort to see if those changes lead to a way out of this hellish nightmare.She didn't quite expect one to latch back so hard, but she isn't exactly complaining about it.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Weiss Schnee
Series: Incomplete Works: Up For Adoption [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807423
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	"Where Were You?" "I Never Left."

“Oh, how delightful. We’ll paint our nails and gossip, and talk about boys like tall, blond and scraggly over there.” Weiss’ voice was acerbic, but only Weiss could tell that her heart wasn’t in it. It was difficult to say the same words over and over, looking at the same pained faces.

And boy, was Ruby pained-looking. There was something raw in her innocence and naivete that made two things with her difficult, being rude and being deceitful.

Needless to say, these past few loops, Weiss had lived many very difficult repeats.

For that was Weiss’ secret, she repeated again and again, looping over and over in her own life. Generally they began multiple years before she was to attend Beacon, but some sent her back farther, and some shorter. This was one of her shortest loops, one she wasn’t expecting much from.

In the longer ones she had more time to train herself up before coming to Beacon, more time to prepare and condition her body, to get this timeline’s Weiss’ body more attuned to her large Aura reserves and hugely demanding Semblance. Summoning the Knight without proper preparation had killed her in previous loops, many times.

As Weiss broke from her reverie, her tired ears convincing herself she was already hearing Ruby’s stuttering over the -many times repeated- scything comment, she was stunned to hear something else out of Ruby.

Or rather, for Ruby not to be the one speaking. _That_ had never happened.

“Uh, I don’t know who you’re calling scraggly, but it better not be that one or you need your eyes checked.” Yang rebutted, confused and sarcastic. Weiss had to fight a whirl about in surprise, only barely choking it back enough to be called a spin, as she turned to see what had introduced the variable in the loop.

And it was, indeed, Mr. Tall, Blond and… _un-scraggly_.

Jaune wasn’t her usual Jaune. He was taller than normal, but more than that, he wasn’t a noodle, and he was barely blond. More of his hairs were a light grey than they were blond, and the rest were a strained straw colour instead of their usual floppy golden luster.

He still wore his black hoodie and blue jeans, but his feet were clad in armoured combat boots, his hands were covered in dull-white gauntlets connecting to rerebraces.

It was similar to the armour he had worn on the few times Weiss had made it past the Fall of Beacon to reconnect to him, but the armour went up both arms.

His chestplate now covered more than just his chest, it was a full cuirass and it connected to a heavy leather kilt, heavy chainmail riveted into said leather. Heavy metal greaves completely encircled his thighs, as more riveted chainmail into red leather connected from sabaton to greave, protecting the backs of his knees.

He had a helmet now as well, in a design reminiscent of Ancient Corinthia, a region long deserted in Eastern Mistral. It held a crest, two massive plumes of golden horse hair falling in crescent moons. It was set in lock under his left arm, as he stood at a proud parade rest receiving the Leadership of Team Juniper from Ozpin.

He looked like a proper Knight, just as he had that one loop when Him and Weiss were all that remained of Beacon, his armour crafted of various dead friend’s armaments. Luckily, this armour seemed to be crafted of non-maudlin sources.

And as he turned to face a bewildered Weiss, Weiss gasped. Jaune looked pole-axed, his sole remaining eye widening, the black eyepatch over his left eye a baleful, horrible gaze into Weiss’ soul.

He nodded after a moment, visibly composing himself with a scowl, and Weiss returned it.

They met that night, each slipping from their Rooms after an exchange of whistling. It began as a test from Jaune, to see how much she remembered, and it awoke enough of Weiss’ memory that she had no problem whistling the affirmative birdsong in return.

They crept out of the room via the fire escape, meeting on the roof. Jaune was wearing a onesie, with his usual total lack of shame, just as she was wearing her usual nightgown. He barely fit in the onesie now, far too muscular for it, and it seemed to have several large gashes in it repaired.

As if he had been fighting in it more than once.

“Is it you, Snow Angel?” Jaune whispered. His voice was deeper than usual, and gruff with a bitter emotion.

“It is, Jaune.” Weiss replied. Several loops had taught her that Jaune could be very good at expressing physical emotion, but even she wasn't expecting him to crush her in a hug so tight she could barely breathe.

Not that she minded, she had plenty enough air left to luxuriate in his warm, pleasantly large arms.

“How… how long has it been for you?” Jaune murmured against her hair, swaying softly with her wrapped entirely around him. If it looked a bit risque, her legs wrapped around his waist and his arms on her lower back, there was no one around to comment.

“You’ve been looping too?”

“Loop- _ing_?” Jaune murmured, shock in his voice. “This has happened to you multiple times?!” His voice was a mortified, hissing whisper.

“Too many times to count. How long have you been in this loop?” Weiss replied. Shoving down his horror at her resigned voice and the words within, Jaune replied. He enveloped one of her dainty hands in his, extending one of her fingers with a prodding tap and placing it on a scar on his own left arm.

“One…” Jaune began. He continued the intimate process, tapping specific places and one large patch of burn skin, before finally settling on pressing her palm against his eyepatch. “Nine. The eye is most recent. My ninth year here.”

Weiss felt her heart crack, meeting his gaze not with pity, but with _sympathy_. She let her hand descend, pressing her fingers over his jawline and scratching gently at the beard growing there. It was a dark blond shade rich in thickness, and pleasantly cool on her fingers in the evening air.

“I missed you during the travel to Haven.” Jaune admitted. Weiss’ eyes widened, not expecting to hear that. “I mean, I know you were rude to me during the first stretch at Beacon, but I saw how quickly you softened up. If this is the reason why, because you’ve seen us all before, I can understand.” Jaune gave a little bitter laugh.

“It’s so hard to lie to Ruby. That cute little face.” He said, looking down and shaking his great shaggy head, as Weiss nodded against his shoulder.

“Oh, believe me, I know.” Weiss replied, warmth in her voice for once, feeling a strange lightness in knowing she wasn’t alone anymore.

Despite her reputation as an Ice Queen, anyone close to Weiss, and more specifically, every single Ruby of the Past and every Zwei of the past, knew she was a real softy.

And now, so did Jaune. _This_ Jaune. Her _current, present_ Jaune. And more importantly, _her_ Jaune, from the very last, almost-perfect loop she had performed.

“Jaune?” Weiss asked, drawing back a bit. He met her eyes, continuing to hold her upright showing no signs of tiredness in his arms or back.

“Yes, Weiss?” His voice was lower than she remembered.

“Can you… prove to me it’s really you?” Her voice was softer than she had ever heard herself.

She had perhaps expected a bit of trivia about herself only she could know, what she didn’t expect was for his bearded mouth to envelop hers.

And… well… she wasn’t exactly complaining.

“ _Fuck_ , I missed that.”

Weiss laughed at his remark, a high sound.

“You’re normally a bit more eloquent when I feel romantic, darling.” Weiss sniped, her eyes and words filled only with love.

“Ah, yes.” Jaune replied, satisfaction and nostalgia in his tone. He continued to speak, this time pompous and grand. “I lack the words to express the gratitude and joy I feel reunited in your presence, my love.” Weiss raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, come now, darling. It’s been nine years, surely you can offer better than that.” Weiss teased, running a loving palm over his cheek. Jaune smiled.

“Your laugh is as the chiming of bottled starlight, your eyes the depths of languid, unbreakable glaciers filled with secret warmth. Your hair as freshly-fallen now, pure and soft, an arctic blizzard of sweet smelling white-out I could blindly stumble through forever and never tire of searching for the treasure of your neck, itself a graceful…” Weiss cut Jaune off with a joyous, tearful laugh, smashing her lips against his.

It was a long moment before she disengaged and spoke. “Your Princess deems your flattery sufficient, Knight.” Weiss taunted. Jaune smiled lovingly, adoringly, up at her from his spot holding her up.

“Then I do believe it is time for the Knight’s reward, my sweet Damsel?” Jaune teased. Weiss looked confused for a second, before Jaune tossed her up a bit and caught her in bridal style.

“Our usual spot?” Weiss queried, excitement in her voice.

“You remember the code?” Jaune asked, teasingly rubbing his nose against hers as he swiped his scroll across the lock of the roof door and headed down to the unused dormitories.

“Obviously.” Weiss huffed, rolling her eyes.

“ _Gods_ , I even missed how you roll your eyes.” Jaune murmured, and was then privy to the rarest of sights, _Weiss Schnee,_ The Princess of Ice herself (Ice Queen being very much taken by Winter), and his precious Snow Angel, _blushing_.

Maybe a second chance wasn't all that bad after all...

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't likely to go anywhere from me, but if you like the concept you're welcome to adopt it, with credit given to me.


End file.
